Pakistan has announced its decision to upgrade diplomatic ties with Afghanistan after China’s Taliban outreach. Pakistan, after being cornered globally for terror links following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, is now scrambling to rebuild regional ties. Pakistan has now become the fourth country, after China, the UAE, and Uzbekistan, to appoint an Ambassador to Kabul.
Pakistan-Afghanistan Ties:
Islamabad has made a significant announcement that it will soon be sending an Ambassador to Kabul. Islamabad has decided to upgrade its ties with its western neighbour for the first time since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021. The announcement was made on Friday by Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, who met his counterpart and the Taliban’s acting foreign minister last week in Beijing.
#BREAKING Afghanistan announces to upgrade its diplomatic ties with Pakistan to ambassador level after Islamabad elevated it's ties with Kabul and appointed ambassador to Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/9GjoVZtAln
— The South Asia Times (@thesouthasiatim) June 1, 2025
China’s Moves in Afghanistan:
China was the first country to accept an Ambassador from the Taliban-run administration in Kabul. However, Beijing says that it has not officially formalized ties with Kabul. Beijing has also announced that after last week’s meeting with the Taliban minister, Afghanistan has come on board the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The geopolitical dynamics are shifting in Asia as India, Pakistan, and China are engaging the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s move to upgrade diplomatic ties with Afghanistan, facilitated by China’s mediation, signals a new phase in regional diplomacy.
